


MIND GAMES

by Smotmachache



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: After Party, Alternate Universe, Cheerleader!Ymir, Committee Leader!Armin, Demon, Exorcist!Erwin, Exorcist!Hange, Genius!Armin, High School, M/M, Paranormal, Possession, Sick!Kenny, Slow Build, Soccer Player!Jean, Soccer Player!Reiner, Supernatural - Freeform, Unofficial Exorcist!Levi, Volleyball Player!Mikasa, cheerleader!krista, pep rally, slightly OOC at times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-20 00:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12421407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smotmachache/pseuds/Smotmachache
Summary: Eren was your average ordinary boy. He stayed away from the "social norms" and had a small group of friends that he trusted. At least, on the outside that's what it looked like. Secretly he was suffering from serious night terrors, that of which he's suffered from his whole life, and only getting worse and more frequent as he got older.On his first day in his 3rd year of high school, he went about his morning as he did every other year, only to run into Levi, the new guy, who Eren never would have guessed would give him the answers he's looking for.Together, they'll fight their demons and maybe even find love along the way. Who knows.





	1. A Brand New Beginning

_Click. Click. Click. Wake up. Click. Click. Wake up. Click. Click. Click. If you don’t wake up, they’ll come. Wake up. Click. Click. WAKE UP!_

“Eren! Wake up!” 

With a start, Eren shot up, eyes wide with fear and heart racing a mile a minute. “Wh- Where am I?”

There was a soft voice, clearly belonging to a woman, but he couldn’t place a face or a name. “Eren, you’re in your room. It’s okay.” He could feel someone rubbing soothing circles on his back, slowly starting to calm his nerves. “I’m right here,” she said. 

After a few moments, once he began to relax, he realized what just happened. “Mikasa! Oh my god, Mikasa, I’m so sorry!” 

“Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault,” she continued to console him, still rubbing his back. 

He looked at her, studied her, to make sure there were no marks. She was beautiful. Shoulder length, silky, black hair; dark, steel blue eyes; and fair skin. Eren looked at her with tear filled eyes. “Not again,” he cried. “Why won’t they go away?” 

“I know,” she said, “I wish they would leave you alone too, but you’re awake now. It’s over.”

“For now,” he whispered. 

She gave him a pained look, “You don’t have to go to school if you don’t want to. I’m sure it will be okay with the parents.”

He was silent for a moment, eventually letting out a shaky sigh. Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he slipped out from under his covers. When his feet came into contact with the hardwood floors he shivered. “It’s the first day, I’ll go.”

“Eren, only if you’re sure.” She gave him a hard look.  
He gave her a quick nod and made his way to the bathroom to clean himself up before she could try and talk him into staying home. Turning to the mirror he studied himself. His dark brown hair was sticking up at every angle, there was evidence of drool lining his lightly tanned cheek; and his eyes, though they usually shone a bright and beautiful mixture of blue and green, were dull and lifeless, as though he were still asleep. They were also bloodshot and puffy. 

He let out another sigh, shook his head, and turned on the tap to wash his face. Looking back up at himself in the mirror, he put on the friendliest, toothiest smile he could muster up. “Let do this.”

-

“Hey! Pull your pants up! What are you, twelve? Act your age! And you, this is a place of business! No tonsil hockey in my halls! Seriously, do you even know what you’re doing? Get going!”

That was Nile Dok, the “campus security” of Shiganshina High School, which really just meant hall monitor. He thought that everyone was afraid of him and that his word was law but really, he was the joke of the school. There were annual prank days planned specifically for him. He mostly targets the trouble makers but every now and again he would find some innocent freshman; make up a story, usually one the spot; only to give them detention after. Several students have reported him in the past but Principal Smith never really did anything about it. He would usually just void the detentions and send them on their way. He probably feels sorry for him. 

Eren, having just arrived at his locker when Nile had begun his hunt, grabbed what he needed and headed off to his World History class. He always got their early so that he could be alone, away from all of the other hormonal and overwhelmed students who surrounded him. He did have friends, it was a small, close-knit group of people who, much like himself didn’t exactly fit into the “social norms” of society, but although he had them around he still enjoyed being alone. Ms. Ral, or Petra as she had us call her, would always come to unlock the door in the morning and then leave to hang out in the teacher's lounge until 2 or 3 minutes before the bell, like clockwork. Eren had taken every single history class that Petra has taught previous to this year so he knew her routine. 

He walked, avoiding contact as much as possible and slid into the classroom. What he hadn’t counted on was for someone to be there, already occupying the desk that had been one over from his own. It was a guy, one he hadn’t recognized, so he was probably new. He had jet black hair, styled into an undercut, hair reaching the lobe of his ears, dark eyes, and fair skin. Actually, this guy looked a lot like his adopted sister, Mikasa. Right down to the stoic expression. He wore black jeans, which were ripped at the knee’s, a grey v-neck t-shirt, and black high-top converse those of which have most definitely seen better days. Which was odd since the rest of his attire looked as though it was brand new. He sat with one foot up, pressed against the edge of the desk and leaning back slightly in his chair, holding a book in one hand while his other rested across his stomach. 

“You’re staring.” When he spoke, his voice was deep and bored.

Eren, snapping out of his daze, slowly made his way toward his desk. “Sorry. I’m just not used to people being in here before the bell.” He hesitated but soon after sat down in the seat to the right of the new guy. There was a moment of silence before Eren spoke again. “Are you new? I don’t recognize you.”

Without skipping a beat, still looking into his book, he answered, “I am. My uncle and I just moved here from Canada.”

Eren’s eyes lit up. “Wow, really? I’ve always wanted to travel to Canada.”

This pulled the raven-haired man's attention away from his book. He lowered his foot from the desk, seat back down on all fours and looked at Eren with a questioning look. “Why? It’s cold as fuck.”

Eren shrugged. “I don’t know. My name is Eren, by the way. Eren Yeager.”

There was silence before the other man spoke. “Levi.”

Before Eren could respond, Petra walked through the door with a “Hi Eren” but stopped, eyes filling with excitement. “Levi!” She squealed. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again! I totally forgot you were coming back!” Coming back? She ran over to Levi and hugged him from his side. He didn’t hug her back but he didn’t really seem bothered by it either. Actually, Eren couldn’t really tell what he was thinking since his expression was as neutral and neutral gets. 

“It was fine. Cold,” he deadpanned.

“Ah, as always, Levi, you’re a man of many words,” she laughed.

Eren, having watched the exchange in total confusion, spoke up. “You guys know each other?” 

It was Petra who responded. “Oh yeah, Levi here knows a few of the teachers here. We all went to school with his uncle.” Her expression dropped, only for a moment before she was smiling again, but Eren saw it. “He knows Principal Smith too. Actually, he was the one who had him transfer here when he returned from Canada instead of going back to Trost High.”

“I really don’t think he’s interested in my life story, so why don’t we cut this short,” Levi spoke up with slight irritation, returning to his original seating position and opening up his book. 

As if on cue, the bell rang. Soon after people started filling in the desk around us and Petra returned to the front of the classroom to get ready for class. 

One of the last people to enter the classroom was Reiner Braun, captain of the soccer team, a straight A student, and very open about his sexuality. He’s one of the popular kids at school, of course, and always makes it a point to make his presence known. It didn’t take long for him to notice Levi. A smirk spread across his face and he b-lined through the classroom. “Oh hey, fresh meat.” Stopping just short of Levi’s desk, Reiner placed one hand on its surface and leaned forward. “You’re pretty cute, what brings you here?”

“Not you,” Levi snapped back, still not looking up from his book.

Ignoring the laughter coming from his classmates, he leaned in further. “So, we’ve got a smart ass in our midst.” His smirk grew as he stepped back, shoulders wide and arms crossed. “I like that. How about we find out how much of a smart ass you really are. A date - You, me. What do you say?”

Levi, finally closing his book and letting his chair back down on all fours, pointed towards the window. “You see the sky out there?”

Reiner didn’t answer, he just looked confused, so Levi continued, “when the sky is covered with flying fluffy bunny rabbits, then maybe we can talk about a date.” Letting a smirk brush his lips, Levi stared at him, hearing the laughter surrounding him get louder. 

Before Reiner could respond, Petra addressed him. “Mr. Braun, please find a seat so we can get started.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, no evidence of anger or embarrassment in his voice. In fact, he sounded more amused than anything. Before walking away, he gave Levi one last look before nodding towards Eren. “Yeager.”

“Braun,” Eren nodded back. 

Though Eren never considered himself to be friends with the popular kids, he never had a problem with them either. They acknowledged each other, and that was the extent of it. He looked toward Levi and gave him an apologetic look but he only rolled his eyes in response. There was silence between the two of them for the remainder of Petra’s class.

-

History sped by and before they knew it, the bell rang. Barely 5 seconds had gone by and nearly everyone was out the door. As per usual, Eren and Petra remained but this time Levi accompanied them. He stayed in his seat as though he didn’t plan on leaving, foot back up in it’s normal spot. Eren stood up from his desk and moved toward the door, about to say his goodbyes but stopped when Petra called to Levi. He turned around and saw Levi glaring at her. She only smiled at him. “Go on. Accompany Eren to his locker.” 

Another moment passed before he rolled his eyes, gathered his things, and stood. Without saying goodbye, he moved for the door. “Are you coming, or what?”

Slightly confused, Eren shook his head and walked out the door behind him. He wasn’t really sure how to approach Levi. He wanted to make him feel welcome but it seemed to him that Levi didn’t want to be welcomed. In fact, if Levi could go home right now, I’m sure he would, and never come back. 

Deciding to try anyways, Eren turned to him with as much enthusiasm as he could to mask his nerves, and asked, “so what other classes do you have?” 

Levi pulled out a small piece of paper from his back pocket. “Uh, second period is Gym with Shardis, third is Science with Shitty Glasses, and fourth is Math with Eld. You?”

Eren was extremely confused. He knew who Shardis was, and he assumed by Eld he meant Mr. Jinn since he was our only male math teacher, but Shitty Glasses? Did he mean Ms. Zoe? Having realized that he hadn’t answered Levi, he shook his head and spoke, already having his schedule memorized, “I have drama second period with Mr. Bozado, third is Science with Ms. Zoe, and then Math with Mr. Hannes. Though I suck at math. You must be good at it if you’re in Mr. Jinn’s class.” 

He shrugged but didn’t speak. It wasn’t until they reached Eren’s locker until he spoke again. “So, you act, huh?”

-

After Drama class, Eren made his way to the Cafeteria. Every year on the first day of school they give out free pizza as a “welcome back”. On his way to meet up with his friends, he walked by Levi who was standing at his locker. He almost walked right on by but as a last-minute decision, he turned and made his way to the dark-haired boy. “You going to the Caf for free pizza? It’s actually pretty good.”

Without looking up he answered, “no.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed at the instant rejection, he went to walk away but before he had the opportunity to, there was a high pitch noise that sounded almost like a banshee screaming. Eren threw his hands up to his ears, noticing Levi doing that same, trying to block out the screaming. No matter how hard they tried to drown it out, it wouldn’t go away. Eren started to sway slightly, but Levi held on. Then it stopped. 

Lowering their hands, trying to regain their composure, they looked around. It appeared that nobody else in the hallway had noticed the abnormally loud screeching that the two just experienced. They glanced back at each other but Levi wore a look of recognition, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to hear it. “You too, huh?” he asked, his expression back in it’s stoic and indifferent state.

“Yeah, but how are we the only ones who heard it? No one else seems bothered,” Eren asked, almost panicky.

He answered with another question. “Tell me, do you get really bad nightmares? Ones that you often wake up from with scratches and bruises.” Eren didn’t have to say anything to him. The look that spread across his face was enough to tell him that he had. “Follow me.” 

He quickly walked out through the halls and out the door, leading to small section out side that was cut off from the busier parts of the school ground. No one really came back here because students weren’t actually supposed to be there and it smelled of old grease because of the grease bin by the cafeteria door. Eren followed behind him, a bit apprehensive considering the situation. They came to a stop far enough away from the door so that if someone were to come out, they would notice. 

“Do you believe in demons?”

“Demons?” Eren gave a questioning look.

“Yes, demons. Do you believe in them? Or vengeful ghosts? Evil spirits?”

“I’ve never really thought about it before, I guess.” 

Levi sighed. “What’s happening is an attempt of possession.”

Eren stumbled backwards. “Possession? That’s insane.” The shakiness in his voice present.

“I know how it sounds but stay with me.” Eren nodded, slight panic still evident. “Demons are real and very dangerous. They usually target you when you’re sleeping which is why you have those night mares. The bruises and scratches are from you fighting them off in your sleep and then when you wake up, you feel terrified but you don’t remember why.” His eyes were growing wider and wider as she spoke but he never interrupted. “Most people don’t know that it’s happening to them though so it makes possessing them that much easier. We’re different, though. You can say that we possess a kind of higher power that allows us to see when they’re coming. Only certain bloodlines have it.”

“That’s good, right? That means we won’t get possessed?” Eren asked.

Levi shook his head. “Not exactly. It’s a blessing as well as a curse. Though we have the power to fight them off, that also draws them to us. They don’t like being seen so in turn, we’re a threat. The fact that we’ve made it this long means that they’re pissed and won’t limit their attacks to nights. They’ll start coming at us while we’re awake so you need to be sharp, always. That scream we heard earlier proves it.”

“So that scream we heard was a demon? But why didn’t we see anything?” He asked, trying to puzzle everything together.

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re just watching for now.”

The doors to the Cafeteria opened and Nile stepped out looking around. Eren began to panic having known that his no detention record would be ruined, but within a second 

Levi had him pressed up against the wall, lips pressed together. 

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing out here? Is there a sign above that door that says “MAKE OUT ZONE”? No, there’s not.”

Levi pulled back and turned with a neutral look across his face. “No, but then again, who knows. Didn’t think you could read, Nile.” Eren turned too, only more awkwardly and still slightly panicking.

Nile looked ready to blow up. “Levi. I forgot that you were transferring here. Lucky us.”

“Unfortunately, so.” Levi crossed his arms across his chest, unmoving.

“Both of you, get out of here. And don’t think you’re getting away with this Levi. Erwin will hear about this.” It didn’t look like Nile wanted to let us go, but he did, god only knows why. 

Eren nodded vigorously while Levi just cursed at Nile under his breath. They made their way to the doors to enter the building once more. 

Once they were inside, they moved to Levi’s locker. Levi didn’t look phased by the event that just played out but Eren was in total shock. He didn’t know how to react in that kind of situation. He was just kissed by another guy. He’s never been set on his sexual orientation, he’d always been open minded to the idea that he might like guys too but to have it thrust at him was just too much. 

Levi obviously picked up on his discomfort. “You look constipated.”

Eren gave him a shaky laugh and waved him off. “Nah, its just– you just surprised me is all.”

He shrugged. “Got us out of detention, didn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Eren agreed, but then started to question. “How did that happen, by the way. Nile lives for giving detentions. He’s never willingly given up a chance to give one. Not only were we in an area we weren’t supposed to be in but you talked back to him. Not to mention the, you know.”

Levi didn’t give it a second thought. “Don’t worry about it,” was all he said before turning to his already open locker, pulling out his book, and walking away without another glance.


	2. A State Of Confusion

The day went by very slowly. Third period was a total bore, in Eren’s opinion. Ms. Zoe was as eccentric as everyone had made her out to be. She, too, knew Levi, only when she tried to hug him in front of the entire class like Petra did, he shoved her off and looked seriously annoyed. Fortunately, Ms. Zoe didn’t seem upset, in fact, the shrill squeal that escaped her led everyone to believe she was happy about it. But other than the show they put on, the class wasn't that exciting. 

Fourth period was even worse. Math. Eren hated math with a burning passion. Nothing made Eren angrier than equations. By the time the final bell rang, Eren was spent. He didn’t want to spend another moment with these people. He wanted to go home, play some video games, and relax. 

Eren always walked home with his best friend Armin and his sister Mikasa. Mikasa obviously lived with him and Armin was just around the corner, living with his grandfather. 

“Eren, is everything okay?” 

It was Mikasa who spoke. She was often the first person to realize when Eren was upset or had something on his mind. Eren just played it off though. “What? Yeah, everythings fine. I’m just tired is all. Ms. Zoe is a lot to take in.”

Armin snickered. “Yeah, Ms. Hange is known for her above and beyond personality.”

“Ms. Hange?” Eren questioned, “Oh yeah, you did your co-op placement with her last year, didn’t you?”

“I did! It was extremely educational. I even worked with her over the summer.” Armin was smiling from ear to ear as he spoke about his experience in Ms. Zoe’s lab. Armin was the brains of our trio. He was smart, some even called him a borderline genius. He had the opportunity to skip a couple years but his grandfather didn’t want that for him. He wanted him to grow up like a normal teenager and graduate with his own age group. He did, however, convince his grandfather to allow him to take college course on the side. Needless to say, if you wanted someone to look over your assignments, Armin was your guy. It was amazing that he could keep up with it all and still have time for his friends. 

It wasn’t long before they were outside Eren’s house and waving goodbye to Armin. Stepping inside the house, the two heard a soft voice welcoming them home. Eren looked up from the door and saw his mother standing by the kitchen entrance, smiling as wide as she could before meeting them at the door and giving them both a hug. 

Eren wasn’t buying it. Yes, his mother was probably the kindest person in the whole town but the only time she was ever this kind was when I had my night terrors. It’s her way of coping. She knew that if she always had a worried expression on her face it would just make him feel cornered and pitied. Eren didn’t want that. He didn’t want people to pity him and he didn’t want them to worry either. 

“How was your day, Sweetie?” His mother, Carla, asked with way too much sweetness.

Eren sighed, “Mikasa told you about my night terror didn’t she.”

That made her face drop a little. “Oh, honey. She didn’t have to.” She just rubbed a few soothing circles on his arm before quickly changing the subject. “Right! I nearly forgot! Someone just moved into the old Strathmore House down the street. I saw a young boy moving things in just yesterday. He was probably around your age. I’ve been meaning to head over and offer my welcome but I just haven’t had the time. Could you do it for me?” 

Eren wanted to decline but she was giving him the puppy dog eyes so he begrudgingly agreed. “I guess,” he mustered out with absolutely no enthusiasm. 

Her face lit up as she ran back to the kitchen, returning with a plate full of her famous homemade brownies. “I made them a treat too. If you wouldn’t mind bringing this to them that would be lovely. And they can keep the plate.” She turned away to finish the dishes before Eren could change his mind. 

“I would go with you but I have to head over to Annie’s. He have a presentation due tomorrow,” Mikasa said giving him a kiss on the cheek and running up to her bedroom without another word.

With a groan, he dropped his bag in the coat closet and left once more to go welcome the newbies. 

It hadn’t taken him long to get there since it was only a couple houses down and across the road. The house was old but it had been well kept by the previous owners. They had been trying to sell the house for over a year now. 

Eren stepped up to the door but before he had the chance to knock, the door swung open, startling Eren and causing him to fall down. Thankfully, the brownies weren’t damaged but Eren was sure he was. 

He heard someone curse and suddenly there was a familiar face in his line of view. “Levi?” he shouted.

“Keep it down! Jesus, do you have your volume dial set on max, or what?” Levi whispered, turning back to look through the door which was still slightly open. 

When he faced Eren again, he stood up and held out a hand. Eren took it, brushing himself off once he was back up on his feet, and retrieved the indestructible brownies. “Sorry, I just didn’t realize it was you that moved in. I guess I should have though,” he chuckled, voice almost at a whisper as well. Shaking his head he held out the brownies. “Here, my mom made these. She wanted to come deliver them herself but she overworks herself and that often leaves her with very little time to do anything else. So, here. Welcome snacks from the Yeager/Ackerman family.”

Levi flinched when he heard the names. “Ackerman?” he asked, taking the brownies from him.

Eren shrugged, “yeah. Mine and my parents last name is Yeager but my adopted sister Mikasa’s is Ackerman. Her parents died when she was really young so my parents took her in. They were really close friends with her parents. Why?”

“No reason.” Levi turned and placed the brownies on what Eren assumed was a small table just inside the house. He leaned in, stilled for just a moment, and then slowly closed the door with a light click, locking it before turning back towards Eren. “I’ll return the plate to you tomorrow.”

“Keep it.” There was an awkward silence, neither of them making any movements to leave. “Were you heading somewhere?” 

Levi nodded, “I was tired of being inside. I figured I would go for a walk.”

“Oh, I see,” Eren replied, still awkwardly standing around. “Did you want some company?”  
Levi just shrugged. He shoved his keys in his back pocket and started down the steps, clearly not waiting for Eren. 

He wasn’t really sure whether he was supposed to follow or not but he did anyways. Catching up to Levi, he decided to keep the conversation flowing. “So, have you been to Shiganshina before?”

“I have, but only a few times. I didn’t really get to sightsee. It was more of an in and out situation.” 

“Do you have any other family here or is it just you and your uncle?”

“Just me and my uncle.”

“Why did we have to be quiet back there? Does your uncle not like when you leave or something?”

Levi shot Eren an annoyed look. “You ask a lot of questions.” 

Eren flushed, realizing that he was in fact asking a lot of questions. “Sorry. I don’t do well with awkward silences. I tend to ramble on when it gets too quiet.”

“I don’t do well with small talk,” Levi retorted, looking away with his signature stoic expression.

They had reached the end of their streets and was now turning down Maria Trail, leading toward the streams that Shiganshina was known for. Eren had been there so many times as a child. He would visit with Mikasa and Armin all the time and they would play. It had been a while since they’d been there though. When they were 10, Armin had gotten really badly injured near the waterfall at the end and had almost drowned. It gave them a good scare and they hadn’t been back since. Not that they were afraid of the water or anything, it just didn’t seem to be as appealing knowing that Armin almost died there. 

“He was sleeping if you must know.” Levi’s voice startled Eren out of his own thoughts. “He gets grumpy when he wakes up before he wants to.” Eren’s concerned look had Levi further explaining himself. “By grumpy I don’t mean dangerous. I just mean he gets annoying and whiny. Relax.”

Eren just nodded, not wanting to push it any further. He had the feeling that Levi didn’t like talking about it uncle. He believed him when he said he wasn’t dangerous but although his expression remains naught, he can see Levi tense when his uncle is brought up.

After a few minutes, the streams came into sight and suddenly Eren was filled with a sense of nostalgia. His face broke out into a huge toothy smile and he started running towards it. Once he was there, he slipped his shoes off, found a rock near by, and sat down, sticking his feet into the cool water. Levi appeared shortly after. “I used to come here as a kid with Mikasa and Armin. It’s been years since we’ve been back.”

Levi didn’t respond but he did sit down on the smaller rock beside Eren, shoes remaining on his feet.

“So why did you choose to come here of all places?” Eren asked.

Levi shrugged. “Kenny told me about it when I was younger. Him and his friends used to come here and drink when they were in high school. He said that no matter what was going on in his life, no matter how bad, sitting here by the stream always calmed him.” There was a short pause. “It’s all sentimental bullshit but I like being near water. It’s pretty.”

Eren nodded in response.

“Why haven’t you been here in so long?” Levi asked, not really sounding like he cared, but then again Eren noticed that he never did.

“My friend Armin got hurt really bad when we were 10. There’s a small waterfall down a ways, about 15 feet high at least. Not too high but you still end up pretty deep under when you jump off. We used to go down there to swim.” Eren looked down, playing with the hem of his shirt. “Armin never jumped off. He’s a brainiac, a borderline genius actually, but he was never really a brave soul, spent most of his time with books. Usually it was just Mikasa and I who jumped off but one day I finally convince Armin to jump off with us. I told him he only had to do it once and I would be happy. So we got up to the top, Mikasa jumped off first and then it was Armin’s turn. It was obvious that he was scared but I didn’t think anything of it. Instead, I took matters into my own hands and pushed him off before he could change his mind. When he fell he went straight down head first so he was too close to the rocks jutting out from the wall of the waterfall. If you jump it’s easy to avoid them but when you just fall off, you pretty much fall right into them. Thankfully he only grazed his head on one and managed to come out with only a couple stitches but the fear he felt as he fell was so intense that when he hit the water, he passed out almost instantly. The waterfall sucked him under and Mikasa had to swim in to pull him out before he drowned.”

When Eren finally looked up he saw Levi watching him. “Well, shit,” was all he said.

Eren laughed. “Yeah, shit is right. He doesn’t blame me for it. He says it was an accident and that in the moment nobody really thought about it but sometimes I get think back on it and feel this intense guilt that’s almost painful.”

“He’s alive right?” Levi asked.

Eren looked confused. “Well, yeah, but-”

“But nothing, he’s alive and he forgave you. Nothing to it.” Eren didn’t say anything so Levi sighed. “There’s no sense in living life holding onto regrets that only you’re worried about. If he resented you for it, you would know.”

“I guess,” was all Eren said.

There was a comfortable silence before Eren shot up. “By the way, now that we’re alone with no interruptions, I have a question.” Levi grunted in response. “It’s about what we talked about at school. “

This seemed to grab Levi’s attention. He shot a look at Eren but didn’t say anything so Eren just continued. “First of all, how do you know about all of that stuff. It’s not like there’s textbooks on it so how did you learn about it?”

“There are actually,” Levi replied, “but I know people who study this stuff. When I started having night terrors they figured that it was happening to me. They’ve been watching me and protecting me since then. I’ve picked up on a few things along the way.”

Eren nodded. “You said that only certain bloodlines have the power to fight them off right? If that’s true, how come I’m the first one in my family to be effected.”

“Their power is still dormant. Your power has shown itself because the demons targeted you like they would target anyone else - at random. The rest of your family were just never victims of it so the power never presented itself.”

“I see. So what happens when someone gets possessed. Is it like the movies?”

“Kind of,” Levi hesitated but pushed on anyways, “it’s similar. You act similar to how you see it in the movies, but only during an exorcism. When a demon possesses you, they take over your body, they see your memories and know what you know. They’re also very sneaky and deceptive. For all you know, I could be possessed right now and you wouldn’t know unless you started to exorcise me. They can _be_ you if they want to be.”

Eren was getting more and more terrified the more he asked but he had to know, so he continued to question him. “What happens when you exorcise someone. Do they just go back to normal?”

Levi tensed. Eren was about to take back the question but Levi started talking before he could do so. “Its rare but yes. To go back to being completely normal with no side effects or trauma, you have to be extremely strong willed. Not a lot of people can go through that and come out the other side unscathed. Some people die during an exorcism. Other survive it but go insane shortly after. It isn’t pretty. The exorcism is painful, tedious, and can sometimes last for days. Even when the demon has possessed you, you can feel everything that is happening to your body. It’s almost like being awake during a surgery but you can’t move. You just lay there as they cut you up and dig around inside you. I wouldn’t wish that one my worst enemy.”

Eren shivered. “That’s awful.”

There was more silence. Eren was about to ask another question but Levi stood up. “I should get back. Kenny’s probably going to wake up soon.”

Eren stood up too. “Okay, I’ll walk back with you. Just let me put my shoes on.”

Levi nodded and waited. Once Eren was ready to go they left. 

After about 15 minutes of silence, they made it back to Levi’s, only there was someone standing outside this time. 

“Fuck,” Levi cursed. Eren turned to Levi but saw that he was no longer beside him. He had moved quickly up the steps toward the man standing there. He l had the same black hair that Levi had, only it was a little longer and disheveled. Eren could only assume it was his uncle.  
He could here Levi trying to get him to go back inside but Kenny had his eyes locked on Eren. A big smile spreading across his face, he ignored Levi’s badgering and walked down the steps toward the green eyed boy. 

“Hi there! You wouldn’t be the one who left those brownies for us would you?” His voice was deep like Levi’s but it sounded more scratchy. Almost like he hadn’t spoken for over a year and this was his first time. 

Eren felt awkward but spoke politely. “Yeah, well, my mom made them for you guys. She wanted to welcome you to shiganshina. You can keep the plate.”

Kenny held out a hand to Eren who in turn took it. He shook it firmly, then smack his hand onto his shoulder. “Well, that was extremely kind of you. Tell your mother I give my thanks. What’s your name, boy?”

“Uh, Eren, Sir.” 

“Well, Eren, it was nice to meet you. My name is Kenny. I’m glad Levi has found himself a friend already. He’s kind of a sour puss and likes to push people away. There must be something about you if you’re still around.”

Levi scoffed, clearly annoyed by the fact that his uncle was talking about him as though he wasn’t there. 

“Anyways, it was good seeing you again. Say, you should tell Kuchel to stop by. I haven’t seen her since last Christmas. Oh, and tell her to bring that boy of hers. He looks just like her. It’s uncanny.”

Eren didn’t know what Kenny was talking about. He didn’t know who this Kuchel person was. He was about to inform the man that he had no idea what he was talking about but suddenly Levi was in front of him, back to him and blocking him from his uncle. He grabbed his uncle by the arm and started dragging him away. “That’s enough, time to go. Good bye, Eren.”

Eren stood there, stunned. He heard Kenny say, “Oh Levi, there you are. I was just introducing myself to your friend over there. He has some really nice eyes.” By then they had made it through the door, letting it slam behind them.

Without a single clue as to what had just happened, Eren turned with a dazed expression and started on his way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo there it is. You've met Kenny. 
> 
> Personally I'm really excited to get into Levi's background. It'll be interesting in my opinion. 
> 
> Anyways. Thank you all for checking this fic out, I'm hoping you guys like whats to come!! See you next time I post!


	3. A Mind Of Unease

It was only the second day of school and Levi was gone. He hadn’t been to any of his classes and no one seemed to notice. Considering he was the new guy, it wasn’t that surprising but Eren had thought the teachers might be a little curious. He had decided to let it go but then day three came around, day four, day five, over a week went by and Levi still wasn’t coming to class. The teachers weren’t even phased. 

After about 2 weeks, Eren had made copies of all of his notes from his two classes that he had with Levi and decided to bring them over to him. Maybe he could see if there was anything wrong and if he could help in any way. 

Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked up to the door and knocked. _Nothing._ Eren was about to knock again when he heard a big crash from behind the door. “Jesus christ!” Eren shouted, hand pressed against his chest. “What the hell.” 

He knocked again, still nothing. By this point, Eren was just getting frustrated, so being the impulsive person he his, he decided to test his luck and see if the door was unlocked. Taking another deep breath, he reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly. It was unlocked. 

He peeked his head in, calling out, “Hello?” There was no response. “Levi? It’s Eren. I have some notes for you.”

When there was still no response, he walked further in, closing the door behind him with a click. It was a weird feeling. In fact, it felt totally wrong but he was worried. He had a bad feeling and it would just get worse if he didn’t check in. 

Honestly, Eren didn’t really know why he cared so much. He barely knew Levi. They had talked a couple times. But then he started thinking about how Levi always tensed up when his uncle was brought up. And the weird thing his uncle said when he had met him. Something about Kuchel coming to visit and bringing her son. It could have been nothing, he could have just woken up and wasn’t totally awake yet. There was also the possession thing. Eren still didn’t fully believe it but nothing else explained what was happening to him. He felt drawn to this family, he wanted them to be okay and his nerves were telling him they weren’t. 

He had checked the kitchen, no one. Looked in the living room, no one. He was on his way towards the stairs but stopped in his tracks when he saw the basement door. He hated basements. They freaked him out. Something about being underground, all dark and creepy with unfinished walls and what have you. Something inside him told him to go though. Something about the basement called to him. He inched toward the door, slowly getting closer to it. He reached for the handle, about to turn it when suddenly he was yanked back, a hand over his mouth, and he was terrified. About ready to fight them off, he heard someone talk. It was familiar and it took him a moment to realize who it was because it had such a serious tone to it. “Eren, you shouldn’t be here. Levi is coming back today and if he find out you were snooping around, he’s going to freak out.”

Eren couldn’t believe what he was hearing, or more who he was hearing. When they released their hand from his mouth, he turned, eyes wide with fear and confusion. “M- Ms. Zoe? Wh- What are you doing here? Where is Levi?”

“Honey, we can talk about this later but you need to go.” She started pushing him toward the door. “Come see me in my office after school tomorrow. We can talk then.” 

“But I-” 

Before he could get another word out, she snatched the notebook from Eren’s hand. “I’ll give these to Levi for you.” She gave him a big goofy smile and closed the door, leaving Eren alone on the front porch, confused. Again. It seemed to Eren that every time he visited Levi, he left with more questions. He had a weird life. 

\- 

The next day went by way too slowly. Eren barely got any sleep the night before. He couldn’t stop thinking about what happened with Ms. Zoe at Levi’s house. The whole situation was just too weird. He needed answers. 

Finally, the final bell rang. Everyone in Mr. Hannes’s class bolted out of the room like their life depended on it. “Hey!” Mr. Hannes called, “I know it’s Friday but that hurts my feelings!” Eren like Mr. Hannes, he just hated math. 

Eren got up from his seat, gathered his things, nodded to Mr. Hannes, and off he went. Ms. Zoe’s office was attached to her classroom so he knew where it was. It seemed as though she was waiting for him because when he entered the room, there she was, leaning against her office door with a big goofy grin. “Hiya, Eren. Good to see you again. I can bet you were just _dying_ during third period. But fret not my friend,” she shot a pointed finger in the air, “the end of the day has come. Let’s chat, shall we?” She stepped aside, allowing Eren entrance into the smaller room. 

“So, before we begin, I have a question for you,” Ms. Zoe exclaimed, taking a seat in her office chair, gesturing for Eren to do the same. He did.

“Oh, uh. Sure Ms. Zoe. Ask me anything.” 

She shot back with a curt laugh, “Oh sweet pea, formalities are overrated. Call me Hange.”

Eren nodded, “Okay.”

“Now Eren, do you mind telling me what made you enter Levi’s house without being invited in?” She asked.

Feeling embarrassed, Eren put his head down and started playing with the hem of his shirt. “Look, I know it was wrong and _illegal_ but, I don’t know. Something just came over me. I was worried, he hadn’t been to school in days and I just felt like there might be something wrong. Still, I’m sorry.”

She nodded. “Well, Eren,” she began, “it’s nice to hear that Levi has someone who cares about him, other than the few people who have known him his whole life. It makes me happy to hear that you care. That being said, Levi isn’t the sharing type. Had it of been him that caught you, you would have been deader than road kill on the highway. He has had some troubled times throughout his short life, he has a hard time letting people in. Just show him that you want to be there for him and, eventually, I’m sure he’ll open up. Until then, just know that he does have people looking out for him so you don’t need to worry so much.” Eren didn’t respond, he just nodded. “Alright then. I’m sure you’re probably wondering what I was doing over there, hmm?”

“Yeah. No offense but I thought it was a little weird.”

She laughed, “Yes, well, I suppose it is a bit odd. Levi’s uncle has been sick. Levi’s been staying home to care for him. I have known Levi since he was born, his uncle Kenny even longer, so I was staying with Kenny while Levi ran some errands.”

Eren’s eyes got wide. “What? Is he okay? He’s been gone for over a week, that’s a long time to be sick.”

“Whoa there guy,” she waved her hands up in front of her face, “Relax. It’s a unique condition, not many people even know about it, but I do. I know how to treat it. Unfortunately, it’s something he will have to live with for the rest of his life, and will probably end up being the death of him, but I don’t foresee that being anytime in the near future. So it’ll be okay. It takes a while for the treatment to do it’s work, which is why Levi as been MIA. I would expect Levi will be back on Monday. You can ask him how he’s doing then.”

Eren nodded to her again, still no response. He had a bunch of questions that he wanted to ask but once he was there, they were all gone.

Hange spoke again, “Unfortunately, I can’t say anymore. In fact, I’ve probably said too much. If Levi finds out I’m dead meat. So, little darling, do me a favour and keep this conversation between us,” she asked, giving him a wink. 

‘Oh, uh, yeah sure. No problem. I guess I’ll see you on Monday then.” He said, getting up from his seat. 

He started walking to the door but Hange stopped him. “By the way, Eren. No matter what happens between you and Levi, I just want you to know that he is a good person. He just gets a little lost sometimes. He likes to play the emotionless asshole but deep down he’s a big softy. Probably has more emotions rolling around inside him than you and me combined.” She smiled at him and he smiled back reassuringly. With that, he left.

\- 

_THWAK_

Out of nowhere, Eren’s locker was slammed shut. “What did Four Eye’s tell you?”

“Levi!” Eren exclaimed. “You’re here!” It was Monday morning, Hange said Levi would be back. 

“Don’t ignore the question.” He sounded angry, but the look he was giving Eren was enough to terrify him. “What the hell did she tell you about me?”

“Who? Hange? Uh, nothing. I just asked her why you weren’t coming to school. She just said you had things to take care of and not to worry.” 

Levi glared at him, bringing a whole new meaning to ‘if looks could kill’. “You’re lying to me.”

Eren’s hands shot up, waving frantically in front of him. “No, I’m not! I swear.”

Levi scoffed, clearly still in disbelief but he didn’t argue. He just stormed off. Eren called out to him but he didn’t turn back around. Within moments he was gone. 

Eren thought about going after him. Unfortunately, his thoughts were shifted when he heard someone calling his own name. Someone Eren often butted heads with.

“Who was that, Yeager? Your boyfriend?” Jean Kirstein. Him and Eren have been pretty close friends since they were younger, though you would never guess it by how often they fought. Following behind him was Armin and Mikasa. “Looks like you’ve made him pretty mad.”

Eren rolled his eyes. “Hardly. Why, are you jealous Horseface?”

“Not even in your dreams, Hot Head.” This was often how their fights started. Thankfully Mikasa stepped in before it got too heated. 

“That’s enough you two. Now is not the time.”

“Mikasa’s right,” Armin interjected, “We’re in charge of planning for the Pep Rally After Party that’s coming up at the end of the week and we have nothing done.”

“That’s not true, we have the DJ booked, don’t we?” Jean responded. 

Armin shook his head, “That’s only because that DJ gets booked every year so it’s pretty much an automatic booking by this point. Mr. Smith has given us all slips relieving us of first and second period.” He pulled out a bunch of envelopes with each of their names on them from his messenger bag and started handing them out. “I expect all of you guys to be there. I’ve already informed Marco, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Krista.”

“Why couldn’t we just do it after school?” Eren asked, a little disappointed that he was missing history and drama class. 

“Krista and Ymir have cheerleading practice and Mikasa has Volleyball.” Armin just shrugged, seeing Eren’s clear disappointment. “It’s the only time we could get. Which means we have very little time to figure this out. It shouldn’t be hard if we use last year and the year before as examples.”

Armin was cut off by the warning bell. With that, they all split ways and went to give their first period teachers their slips. 

When Eren walked into the classroom, almost all of the seats were filled. Including Levi’s, who didn’t once look up when Eren walked in. Eren felt a pang of guilt but was something he would have to deal with later because as of right now, he had somewhere to be. 

“Eren,” Petra called, “Strange for you to show up so late. Usually you’re here before I am.”

Eren laughed softly, “Sorry. I actually have something I have to go do. It’s regarding the pep rally after party, we need to get everything finalized and we don’t have a lot of time to do it. Here’s a slip, and if you don’t mind could you make sure Mr. Bozado gets it as well?”

Petra took the slip, read it over, and nodded. “Sure thing, Eren. Can do. Have fun! I look forward to seeing how you guys do.” She smiled.

“Thank you. I’ll stop by at the end of the day to pick up any homework and assignments.”

He turned to leave, chancing a quick glance over to Levi. This time he was looking right at him. Eren shot him a soft smile before turning to walk out the door. 

\- 

Jean groaned loudly, “I hadn’t realized how much work had to go into planning a damn after party.”

“Well, what did you expect? There’s a lot of aspects to planning stuff like that,” Armin retorted, “but we did it! All that’s left is set up. Jean and I will pick up the supplies needed tomorrow after his soccer practice. The pep rally starts at 5pm, the game starts at 6pm, and the after party starts directly after the game. So we all need to be there after school to start setting up. If you guys know people that are willing to help, bring them. We need all the help we can get.”

“Yes, Sir.” Eren teased. Armin was the head of the Extra Curricular Activities Committee this year, same as last year, so he often used his “authority voice”. No one seemed bothered by it in the least, everyone liked Armin and he was good at making sure things got done. Some of the upper classmen last year were a bit skeptical letting a second year take charge but he proved to be worthy of the position, as he was recommended by Mr. Smith himself. He was a good leader but it still didn’t stop them from teasing him. 

Armin rolled his eyes, clearly used to it by now. 

There were only a couple forth years in the committee but they didn’t really do anything. It was mostly Armin and the rest of the gang.

Eren and Mikasa stopped just outside of their house, waving goodbye to Armin and Jean. Jean was going over to Armin’s so that he could get some help with his science homework. It was obvious that Jean was starting to fall for him. Jean picked a fight with everyone but he always did was he was told when it came to Armin. “I wish they would just get together already. It’s painful watching Jean swoon.”

Mikasa nodded in agreement and turned down the walkway. “Actually Mikasa, I’m gonna see you later. I have something I need to go do.”

“Oh,” she said, sounding slightly dejected. “Sure, I’ll tell mom you went out.”

“Thanks!” Eren beamed, “I’ll see you tonight.” With a wave of his hand he headed off to Levi’s place. 

\- 

“So, now that Kenny’s back on his feet, we need to talk about what happened on the first day of school.” 

Levi scoffed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Nile came to speak with me, something about you messing around with someone again. That Yeager boy, to be specific.” Erwin picked up his cup off the small table next to him while they sat on the front porch. 

“Nile is a scumbag. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

“Levi,” Erwin’s voice darkened, “I know how you are when you start to spiral. This isn’t what I think it is, is it? I don’t need you breaking this poor boy’s heart just because you feel lie crap.”

Levi glared at him, a look that could make a person’s blood curdle but Erwin wasn’t phased. “First of all, I don’t intentionally hurt people, that’s bullshit. Secondly, no. I only did that so that he would think that.”

Erwin looked genuinely confused by that. “Why on Earth would you _want_ Nile to think that?”  
Levi turned and stared off, “It was more believable than trying to convince him that we were just talking. He would have asked questions that I couldn’t answer and I probably would have punched him. Nile doesn’t trust me remember? I figured he could just think I was on a prowl. Which to be clear, I wasn’t and I have never done that.”

Erwin sighed, about to argue but Levi cut him off. “Look, just drop it okay. We’ve had that discussion a million times and I don’t want to argue with you again. I know what it looked like but it wasn’t. I wish you would just believe me already.”

“You’re right, Levi,” Erwin agreed. “Let’s focus on the Yeager?” Levi nodded. “What’s the deal. Why were you really out there with him?”

Levi hesitated before answering. “He’s like me. He hears them and has night terrors too. He’s obviously a descendant of one of the few bloodlines that possess that power. But neither of his parents have been targeted so their power is still dormant. I don’t know if it’s his mother's side or his father's.”

Erwin’s eyes widened. “Levi, why didn’t you tell me sooner? Do you know how important this is? That boy is in danger!”

“You think I don’t know that?” Levi retorted. “Unfortunately, we were a little preoccupied trying to bring Kenny back from the deep end.”

“You need to bring him to us. We need to inspect him.” Erwin was more calm now. “I can have Hange do some research on the family’s history. We’re going to need his mother’s maiden name to do a full search on both sides.”

Levi looked like he wanted to disapprove but he nodded anyways. Personal feelings aside, Eren _was_ in danger. He needed protection, no matter what secrets would be unveiled in the process. 

Speaking of, Levi’s face contorted into a look of surprise, causing Erwin to turn and see what it was he was looking at. Eren was running down the street towards the house. Levi assumed he must have just got home from school. Levi left to go home after lunch, accompanied by Erwin, who was known by the students as Mr. Smith. They needed to check on Kenny. Though he was quite clearly out of the frying pan, they still needed to make sure he stayed that way. It wouldn’t take long before everything was back to normal, but to be honest the situation _wasn’t_ normal, making it hard to predict the outcome sometimes. 

Eren’s run slowed to a jog as he approached the house, clearly out of shape judging by how hard he was breathing. 

“Eren? What are you doing? Why did you run here?” Levi looked just as confused as Eren did. He figured seeing his principal having tea with a student at their house was probably a strange sight to see.

“I- uh, I-” Eren stopped for a second, finally getting his breathing under control, “I needed to talk to you. Why is Mr. Smith here?”

Erwin stood up and walked down the steps to Eren, Levi following closely behind. He didn’t look pleased but Erwin ignored it. “Eren, it’s good to see you.” He held out his hand. “Last time we spoke, it was in my office with Mr. Kirstein. I believe you had gotten into a fight and ended up giving him a nosebleed before Nile broke it up.” He chuckled. “You two are quite the pairing.”

Eren shook his extended hand. “With all do respect, sir, Jean deserved it.”

He laughed at that. “I’m sure he did. You mentioned wanting to have a word with Levi, yes?”

Eren nodded. 

“Well, it just so happens that we would like a word with you if that’s okay.”

“Oh,” Eren sputtered, “I guess that’s okay. I’m not in trouble am I? Can I get detention outside of school too?”

Erwin laughed again, booming loudly. “Not to worry, Eren. You’re not in trouble. Anything that happens outside of school hours is off the record. Now, I’ll give you two a moment while I go make some calls. I’ll meet you two inside when you’re done.”

Once Erwin was inside, the door closed softly behind him, Eren turned to Levi, the confusion in his eyes evident. “What does he want to talk to me about?”

Levi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms at his chest, “we will cross that bridge when we get there. What do you want, Yeager?”

Eren suddenly felt embarrassed, having second thoughts about coming here. He stifled his nerves and looked up. “About this morning. You seemed really upset and I just wanted to clarify that I had no intention of being nosey. It’s just that you hadn’t been to school in the last two weeks and I got worried. When someone is gone for that long without warning, it tends to go unnoticed. I was just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I came over to see how you were doing but Hange told me that you weren’t home and that I needed to leave. So, I did but I went to see her in her office the next day, where she told me that everything was fine and that you just had to take care of your uncle because he was sick and that you were running errands and-”

“She told you what?” Levi barked, cutting Eren off.

Suddenly, Eren realized what he had just said. His eyes went wide and he tried to explain himself but Levi cut him off again. Voice dangerously calm this time. “I’m going to give you one more chance, Yeager. If you don’t tell me exactly what she said, don’t bother coming back.”

Eren bit his bottom lip, conflicted on what he should do but Levi’s impatient death glare told him that he should probably listen to him and tell him what he know. He would apologize to Hange later. “Okay, fine. She told me that your uncle has an extremely rare condition, one that most people have never even heard of but that she knew how to treat it. She said that it was something that takes a couple weeks to treat and that it was something he would suffer with for the rest of his life. She also said that it could be what kills him one day.” Silence. “But I don’t want you to put all the blame on her. I pretty much backed her into a corner.”

“That’s enough. It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine. I’m pissed but it’s not like I didn’t expect someone to ask questions. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.” Levi’s expression went back to it’s neutral look as though he was more bored than pissed off. 

Still, Eren knew that Levi was upset. It made him feel guilty for prying. “I’m sorry Levi. Really. I won’t press anymore. I promise I’ll stay out of it and if I have a question I’ll come straight to you.”

“I said don’t worry about it,” Levi scoffed. “Is that all? Are we done here?”

“Actually,” Eren added, “Are you busy this Friday after school?”

Levi looked confused by that. “Probably, but I might be able to get out of it. Why?”

“Well, the pep rally is this Friday and there’s an after party after the soccer game. We need help setting up and I was wondering if you could lend us a hand. Helpers and players don’t have to pay to get into the after party so you could go for free.” Eren could see Levi’s disinterest but he really wanted him to go. “Please, Levi! I’ll do whatever you want. Please, just come.”

“Jesus,” Levi rolled his eyes, “Fine, if it gets you to stop begging like a child. But I’m holding you to that promise.” Eren beamed, ignoring the insult. “Now, if that’s all, we have other matters to attend to. I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

Eren nodded quickly and followed Levi into his home, curious as to what he had possibly gotten himself into that would involve the principal wanting to talk to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for those of you who are reading! I have a lot of ideas for this fic. I know to some of you it might seem like its progressing quickly but I promise you it's not. We haven't even scratched the surface. There's a whole lot of shit that's going to happen. So look forward to that. 
> 
> Thank you again for checking in! <3


	4. A Truth Be Told

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took so long to get the chapter out. I was really busy with work and this chapter was annoying to write. xD I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner. :)
> 
> Also, I proofread a good portion of it but not all of it cause I was trying to get it finished to post so if something is wrong, let me know.

Eren walked closely behind Levi, following him into the house. Erwin was in the kitchen and had just hung up the phone when they walked in. “Hange will be here soon. She will handle the inspection.” 

He had obviously been talking to Levi when he spoke but Eren was confused by what he meant when he said inspection. “What kind of inspection will she be doing? Do we need to leave the house? Or does she have to look over Kenny for something?”

“It’s not a house inspection and Kenny’s fine,” Levi said.

Erwin moved to the stove where the teapot sat. “Would you like some tea, Eren? It’s black.”

“Uh, no thanks,” he declined. “I am a little confused as to what’s going on though. What do you mean by inspection and what was it that you needed to talk to me about?” Eren looked at Levi with concern filled eyes but the look he received from him was almost annoyed. Eren didn’t know if it was directed at him or if it was directed towards the situation. To be fair, Levi had looked annoyed since he had shown up so he wasn’t sure how to take it. 

“All in good time, Eren. Hange will be here soon, when she arrives we can explain everything. All you need to know for now is that we are here to help you, not to harm you.” He sat down at the table after filling his cup with tea, gesturing for Eren and Levi to do the same. They obliged. “You don’t have to look so scared.”

“No offense, but the whole situation is kind of sketchy. I’ve never even talked to you outside of being sent to your office.”

Erwin laughed, “Which I recall was a lot in your first year. I mean no disrespect but you have quite the temper.”

Eren flushed, mumbling under his breath, “It’s not that bad. If Jean wasn’t such a dick.”

Erwin laughed again. “Yes, Mr. Kirstein. I recall he’s quite the instigator too. How have you too been. I don’t see you in the office much anymore. Finally patched things up?” 

“Well, no. We still butt heads a lot, mostly because he’s a big mouthed tool, but Mikasa always steps in and defuses the situation. Besides, I’m tired of fighting with him. It gets old.” Eren scratched his head.

“Mikasa Ackerman, yes?” Erwin asked.

Eren nodded. 

Erwin looked at Levi and then back to Eren. “Well, that’s interesting. I’ve met the young lady on several accounts but I’ve never made that connection before.”

Eren, again, looked confused. “What connection?”

Before Erwin could answer him, Levi cut him off. “Erwin enough. One thing at a time. Let’s try not to bite off more than he can chew.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand?” Eren looked back and forth between the two men sitting in front of him, getting more and more irritated by the second. 

He wanted to push for more information but suddenly there was a loud crash against the front door. Levi rolled his eyes and stood up, letting whoever it was in. 

Returning with Hange following closely behind, he sat back down in his seat between Erwin and Eren at the four seater table. “Sorry about that, guys. I didn’t realize the door would be locked. 

“ _Tch._ You have a key, maybe you should use it,” Levi retorted, crossing his legs and taking a sip of his tea.

“Oh, hush Grumpy Monkey,” Hange teased, ignoring the glare Levi gave her. Instead, she turned towards Eren and gave him a tight hug, “Eren, Sweetie! How are you?” 

Feeling awkward, Eren tapped his hand against hers, hoping she would be satisfied and let go. “I’m good. Feeling a little in the dark but otherwise, I’m peachy.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. Now,” she released him, “I hope you’re comfortable with your body because I’m gonna need you to strip.”

Eren stiffened in his seat, leaning away from the woman. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, honey,” she waved, “You can keep your underwear on. I just need you to take everything else off. How else am I supposed to inspect you?”

Eren looked back towards Levi. “See, this is what I’m talking about. No one will tell me what’s going on! You just keep demanding and being all secretive.”

Hange grabbed his arm, lifting him out of his seat and started pulling his shirt off but it was Erwin who spoke. “Now that Hange is here, we can talk.” Eren didn’t fight Hange when she moved to his belt. It was weird but he was finally getting some answers. He didn’t want to push it. Erwin continued talking. “Levi has informed us that you have had some issues with night terrors. How much do you know about that?”

Eren, once again, looked to Levi who in turn nodded. Eren looked back to Erwin and spoke. “Levi said that the night terrors were because a demon was attempting to possess me. The reason I wake up screaming and flailing, sometimes injured, is because I’m unconsciously fighting them off. He also said that I have a power that only specific bloodlines have that allow me to fight them off.” 

Erwin nodded. “And do you believe him?”

Eren took a moment to answer because Hange was more than a little distracting. “Uh, Yeah, Well, I don’t want to. Frankly the whole thing scares the hell out of me and I try not to think about it. But something tells me that he’s not lying. When we were at school on the first day and we heard that loud screeching, I didn’t know what to think. There is no humanly reason that we were the only two who could hear it.” 

Erwin looked at Levi disapprovingly. Levi rolled his eyes again. “Levi never mentioned that to me.” 

“Slipped my mind.” Levi shrugged.

“Levi,” Erwin’s voice deepened, “you know how important it is for you tell me when things like that happened.”

“Yeah, well, the situation was a little complicated. Need I remind you, once again, that Kenny fell sick. I was a little preoccupied.” Levi glared back at Erwin.

Hange cut in before the argument could get more heated. “Everything looks good. You can put your clothing back on, buddy.” She slapped Eren on the back and sat in the open chair on the other side of Erwin.

Getting the go ahead, he started putting his clothing back on. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” With a sigh, he sat back down. “I’m going to need you guys to be straight with me. I want to know everything that you know, starting with you guys. How do you know all of this stuff.”

Levi is the one who spoke. “Eren, this is a lot to take in. I don’t think it’s a good idea to overwhelm yourself. A normal person would have a break down if they found out that demons were real.”

Eren shrugged. “You told me and I was fine.”

“Yes, but that’s barely scratching the surface. This is a never ending battle and though you will need know everything, it isn’t smart to hear it all at once. It’s enough to cause serious mental anguish if you’re not careful.” Levi stared at him, hoping he was understanding what he was trying to say.

“Did you need time?” Eren asked.

Levi looked away. “My situation was different. I’ve known about this since I was very young. I didn’t get to grow up thinking that everything that goes bump in the night was all just my imagination. I didn’t have a safe sense of reality to lose like you do.”

Eren felt sad hearing that Levi had spent his whole life possibly looking over his shoulders in fear that something might come and get him, but Eren didn’t care about a safe sense of reality. He didn’t want to be lied to or babied. He wanted to know what he was up against. “I can handle it. Besides, you guys could tell if I was starting to get overwhelmed, I’m sure. If it looks like it’s too much for me to handle then stop. We will pick up another day but I’m telling you I can handle it.” Eren’s eyes were pleading to them. Levi didn’t say anything. He just looked at Erwin as if it were his call.

Erwin gave him a sympathetic look. “You will know everything in time Eren. It’s not quite as black and white as you think.” Eren looked like he wanted to object but he just huffed and leaned back in his chair, ready to listen. “Hanji and I are exorcists. Though Levi isn’t a certified exorcist, he knows a thing or two as well. I’ve been an exorcist for over 20 years, Hanji just as long. There are others but I’m sure you’ll meet them in time.” 

Eren nodded, encouraging them to go on. 

“The most important thing to understand is that every situation can be different from the last. These are very unpredictable beings and they are not to be taken lightly. I’m only going to tell you what you need to know for now. Everything else you can learn over time. Finally, this information stays between us. Regular people don’t take kindly to someone who is trying to destroy their facade. As Levi said, this information is enough to cause a normal person to breakdown. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Eren agreed.

“Good. Now let’s start with what you already know. You are being targeted by a demon. Your power alone is enough to draw them to you which means that it’s likely you’ll spend the rest of your life fighting them off. When you’re being targeted, it often starts with them trying to get to you while you sleep. When you sleep you’re in a vulnerable position which would usually make you an easy target. Often times this is when a person would typically be taken over but it’s never all at once. It takes time for a demon to fully take over. Over time you’ll notice changes in the victim and for those like us who know what to look for, we can see the symptoms and can fight them off. The earlier the better. The more the demon latches on, the harder it is for us to detach it. Not impossible though.” Erwin’s eyes got dark. “You and Levi are a different story. You possess a divine power that allows you to see when they’re coming at you. You don’t remember it at first. It’s similar to having a nightmare that you can’t quite remember once you wake up. All you remember is that you were terrified. Those are the night terrors that you’ve been having. After that, if they haven’t made progress, they get pissed off and start going after you when you’re awake.”

Eren’s eyes were glued to Erwin, taking in every word. “Like that high pitched screaming Levi and I heard at school. But I don’t understand. It didn’t attack us or do anything. It pretty much popped by to say hello and then off it went. I haven’t had any issues since. No night terrors, no screams. Nothing.”

“This is where it gets complicated. See, the thing about Demons is that they’re extremely deceptive. If they get close enough, they can convince you into doing and believing anything they want. The stronger the demon that is after you, the harder it is to fight them off. Much like any other type of opponent. They will mess with their victim in order to get into their head. They’re also good actors. They can pretend to be the person they’re possessing down to the last detail. People have gone years before someone noticed anything off about someone close to them. That being said, there are tells. Things that you would never really guess are related but they are. Say, Eren, do you ever hear anything strange or out of place? Or perhaps a feelings, or a thought? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Eren had to think about this. It took him a little while but he remembered something. “When I’m coming out of a night terror I hear a clicking sound. It’s repetitive and I usually hear it before I wake up but it’s not very loud. It kind of sounds like it’s coming from a distance.”

“As I thought.” Erwin hummed. “The noise itself isn’t necessarily relevant. It’s more the idea that something is out of place. For starters, that’s how you can tell that they’re about to strike. The key point of survival here is to know your surroundings. Be aware of everything that is happening around you so that you can tell when something is off. When you can do that, it becomes easier to know when they’re coming.”

“But when they attacked at school, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. No clicking, no feeling, nothing.” Eren looked to Levi.

“I felt uneasy but that’s about it and though I knew what was about to happen, it barely gave me enough time to brace myself. It was almost like they were desperate, impatient.” Levi shrugged. “That’s never really happened before. Usually they stalk and then pounce, giving us enough time to realize what’s about to happen, but this time they ran in guns blazing.”

“I see.” Erwin hummed. He thought for a moment but then pushed forward. “Well, Eren. That’s generally the gist of what you need to know about the demons themselves. More importantly, you need to know how to protect yourself, however, you’re not going to learn this overnight. In time you’ll be able to protect yourself but until then, I would like you to place your trust in us and allow us to protect you, just as we’ve been doing with Levi.”

“I trust you guys. I don’t know why but I do.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Erwin stood up. “Levi can help you adjust so try and spend as much time together as possible. We check in every so often to see how Levi is doing, so if you don’t mind, Levi, let Eren know when we do, I would like him to be here.”

Levi rolled his eyes but didn’t object. 

“Alright then, that will be all for now. Perhaps next time we can discuss some more, Eren, but until then, have a good day.”  
Erwin reached out towards Eren who jumped from his seat once he realized what he was doing. Taking his outstretched hand in his, he nodded. “Thank you for everything, Sir. I’ll see you around.”

Erwin nodded and made his way to the door with a brief goodbye to Levi. Hanji followed behind him but not before giving Levi and Eren a tight hug. Once they were alone it was silent.

“You seem to be handling everything really well.” Levi spoke but he didn’t move from his seat. He only picked up his cup and took a sip of his tea.

Eren suddenly felt extremely awkward now that it was just the two of them. “Oh, uh. Thank you. I guess I just think that being scared won’t do us any good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally freaked but it won’t accomplish anything to act on it.”

Levi nodded. “Good. We don’t need you having a meltdown on us.” He placed his cup back on the table and stood up. Turning to Eren, he smirked. “Looks like we’ll be spending lots of time together, Yeager.”

“Why is it that I suddenly feel uncomfortable now.”

Levi rolled his eyes again, “Brat.”

Eren gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. “Well, I never!”

Levi arched a brow, shook his head and moved toward him, ignoring that fact that Eren slightly flinched. “Give me your phone you giant dork.”

Eren obliged. “Are you giving me your number?”

Taking it, Levi started going through it, typing something in soon after. “No, I just want to check my emails. Yes, Eren. I’m giving you my number.” Suddenly there was a ding coming from Levi’s pocket. “And now I have yours. This way if anything happens you can get into contact with me. Please don’t spam my phone. If you do, well, lets just get one thing straight. I’m small but I’m fast as hell. I’ll rip off your nose before you even have time to realize what happened.”

Eren’s eyes widened, taking a step back, drawing a smirk from Levi. “That’s, uh, graphic. Noted.”

“Relax, Eren.” Levi shook his head.  
  
Eren chuckled awkwardly. “I should go though. I’ll text you the details about Friday.” He waved his phone in the air.

Levi nodded. “You do that. I’ll see you later.” He walked Eren to the door. Eren stepped out, the door clicking behind him and made his way home with a mixed feeling of excitment and terror.


End file.
